[What is the meaning of life] #Reading Tuesdays with Morrie
The most important things
a life coach taught me
before he died
Hello. This is T.
I'm taking a break from tea-related articles this time.
There are so many truly talented creators on note. Essays, poetry, photography, music. It's overflowing with wonderful articles.
For someone like me who loves the written word, the world of note is truly fascinating. When I read, I feel like I'm having a conversation with that person. I find myself feeling a sense of closeness and growing fond of them on my own.
And so, while reading an article by a noter I follow, a book that caught my interest came up.
Totsukemi-san, who always writes articles so compelling you'd think they were a professional writer.
At the end of this article, this passage was included.
The book I am reading now is
Mitch Albom (translated by Sadanori Bekku)
'Tuesdays with Morrie'.
This is a book that a gerontological nursing teacher recommended I read back when I was a student.
I don't know how many times I've read it now, but I intend to keep reading this book for a while. I feel like I read this book whenever I hit a wall or want to stop and take a breath.
That makes me so curious!
So, I bought it.
Conclusion: I'm glad I encountered this book. Totsukemi-san, thank you so much!
I shouldn't give away any spoilers, but I would like to introduce just a few of Morrie-sensei's words that struck a chord with me.
"The way to give meaning to life is to devote yourself to loving others, to devote yourself to your community around you, and to devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning."
"The most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love, and to let it come in."
"Accept that you are going to die, and be prepared for it at any time. That is much better. Only then can you truly engage in life while you are living it."
"Once you learn how to die, you learn how to live."
"I embrace aging."
"Listen, I want you to know this. I want all young people to know this. If you are always fighting against getting older, you will never be happy. After all, you have to get older anyway."
"I can't be envious of your age—I've been there myself."
"Marriage is a test. It's about finding out who you are, who the other person is, and whether you can adapt or not."
"To me, living means being able to respond to the feelings of others."
"Death ends a life, not a relationship."
It is an obvious fact, but everyone will eventually die. However, in our daily lives, for some reason, we live without being very conscious of death.
This book depicts Morrie, who accepts the inevitable death and faces it head-on. I feel that if I had encountered this book when I was younger, my perception of it would have been completely different. I am glad that I encountered this book now. It is a book I want to read again.
If you are interested, please give it a read! The article by Tokutsumi-san that I introduced is also incredibly interesting, so if you are curious, please go check it out!
Going back a little in time, to early May 2025.
My best friend's father passed away.
He was only in his 60s.
I rushed to the wake after work, so I was the only one still in my work clothes.
I said my final goodbyes, but my father couldn't hear me anymore.
If you're not alive, you can't make your voice heard, can you?
It's obvious. Even though it's obvious.
As the time approached midnight, only the relatives and the four of us remained.
We used to always be a group of four. As we grew up, we each walked our own separate paths. It had been over ten years since the four of us had gathered together. I felt like my father had created this opportunity for us.
"Let's take a picture."
We decided to take a photo together.
After we finished, Kenji said, "If any of us dies within a year, let's use this as their funeral portrait."
Everyone laughed at the incredibly inappropriate remark. We can't die yet.